Libertarian Party on Homeland Security

Party Platform

Military should defend against aggression; not world police

We support the maintenance of a sufficient military to defend the United States against aggression. The United States should both abandon its attempts to act as policeman for the world and avoid entangling alliances.
We oppose any form of compulsory national service.

Reduce defense spending by half; just defend the US

Certainly America’s defense capability should be strong enough to defend the United States. However, the US now accounts for 37% of all the world’s military spending. Another 30% of world military spending is by countries in Western Europe along with
Japan, South Korea, and Israel -- nations which pose no conceivable threat to the US.

Russia, our former Cold War adversary, certainly represents no military threat. Our military budget is $260 billion; Russia’s is less than $80 billion. China spends
less than $7 billion on defense. The most commonly cited rogue states -- Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, North Korea, and Cuba spend a combined $15 billion. Nowhere are American vital interests under attack or even seriously threatened.

If the US were to
pursue a policy of defending its own borders while avoiding foreign intervention, we could realistically reduce our defense budget to as little as $125 billion over the next five years.

Build missile defense privately, with federal “reward”

The Defense Department has spent $100 billion and 17 years trying to create one, with very little progress. We must realize that the Defense Department is just another bureaucratic government agency-the Post Office in fatigues. It is the least efficient
place to turn for a missile defense. [A Libertarian president would] post a reward of, say, $25 billion-to go to the first private company that actually produces a missile defense and proves that it works. I think we could have one within 3 or 4 years.

Source: LP 2000 campaign on-line, by Harry Browne
, Nov 7, 2000

Oppose any form of national service

We call for the abolition of the Selective Service. We oppose any form of national service. We oppose adding women to the pool of those eligible for the draft because we believe that this step enlarges the number of people subjected to government
tyranny. We support the immediate exoneration of all who have been accused or convicted of draft evasion or desertion. We call for the end of the Defense Department practice of discharging armed forces personnel for homosexual conduct.

Source: National Platform of the Libertarian Party
, Jul 2, 2000

Eliminate nuclear weapons & bring all U.S. troops home

The potential use of nuclear weapons is the greatest threat to America. We call on the U.S. government to continue negotiations to the end that all such weapons will ultimately be eliminated. If Europeans want nuclear weapons on their soil, they
should take full responsibility for them and pay the cost. We call for the withdrawal of American military personnel stationed abroad, including the countries of NATO Europe, Japan, the Philippines, Central America and South Korea.

Source: National Platform of the Libertarian Party
, Jul 2, 2000

Support resistance to the draft

BE IT RESOLVED:

That the Libertarian Party National Committee unconditionally supports his right to resist, and will continue to support his struggle against the state in whatever form it takes consistent with libertarian values;
and

That the Libertarian Party National Committee supports the right of all draft eligible youth to resist registration and the draft.